Chapter 248: Heavenly Demon Tang Sewoon (2)
After declaring the goal of killing the Blood Demon, the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—who had gained a new purpose in life—shed burning tears.
The sa was true for Buk Ri-seung, the Great Protector.
His face was filled with a mixture of deep emotion and exultation.
There was not a single person who harbored even the slightest doubt that Sewoon was not the Heavenly Demon.
The reason was simple.
The Ice-Heaven Demon Divine Qi of the Heavenly Demon that Sewoon displayed was not a martial art passed down through secret manuals.
It was a symbol of the Divine Demon, permitted only to successive Heavenly Demons, transmitted solely by being engraved upon the soul itself.
Sssss—!
The Ice-Heaven Demon Divine Qi emitted demonic qi that was as pure as snow, yet terrifying.
It was an Absolute Demonic Qi—one that embraced all demonic qi while simultaneously subjugating it.
The mont they faced Sewoon, they felt a fear and pressure as though a collar were tightening around their throats, yet paradoxically, rapture seized control of their minds.
Having directly confronted the overwhelming power of the Heavenly Demon so vividly, there was no one within the Demonic Cult who could possibly doubt that the being before them was the true Heavenly Demon.
Once the commotion subsided sowhat, Sura True Lord, one of the Demonic Cult’s elders, hesitated before cautiously opening his mouth.
“L-Lord Master…… may this lowly one dare to ask a small question?”
Seated upon the throne, Sewoon released the aura of an absolute ruler and replied in a low voice.
“Speak.”
Sura True Lord drew in a deep breath.
His question stemd not from suspicion, but from genuine curiosity.
“Th-Then…… why does the Divine Demon reside within the body of that Sichuan Tang Clan child? Could it be…… that you employed the Soul-Shifting Great Art……? I was rely curious…….”
At Sura True Lord’s audacity in probing the master’s will, Buk Ri-seung suddenly erupted in fury.
“How dare you—!! Sura True Lord!!”
“I-I beg your pardon……?!”
“Stand down, Great Protector. It is fine.”
Buk Ri-seung looked as though he might lunge forward at any mont and snap Sura True Lord’s neck, but Sewoon cald him, saying it was all right.
‘Well, it’s natural that they would be curious.’
Because of the Ice-Heaven Demon Divine Qi he had received directly from the Heavenly Demon, they would not question that he was the reincarnated Heavenly Demon.
Yet he was now inhabiting the body of a righteous sect’s descendant who had not the slightest connection to the Demonic Cult.
That was why Sura True Lord had asked whether he had used the Soul-Shifting Great Art, which separated the soul and possessed another body.
‘That would be impossible. The Heavenly Punishnt of my body—no, the Heavenly Aperture—even caused the Soul-Shifting Great Art to fail.’
Sewoon recalled his past life, when he had once attempted the Soul-Shifting Great Art and failed.
After briefly reminiscing, Sewoon began to answer Sura True Lord’s question.
His voice carried authority, along with an air of profound mystery.
“Do you truly think this seat would have used such a paltry thod?”
“?!”
At those words, Sura True Lord’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
The guilt of having uttered sothing so base before an absolute being overwheld him.
“I-I am sorry. It was the mistake of an incompetent and foolish subordinate…… please, I beg for your forgiveness…….”
Sewoon looked toward Buk Ri-seung and spoke.
“No. During the long ages of waiting, how many questions must you all have wished to ask?”
“Khk, Lord Master……!”
Sura True Lord looked as though he might burst into tears from sheer emotion.
The reactions of the others, including Buk Ri-seung, were no different. Moved by Sewoon’s magnanimity, they all bowed their heads.
“As I have said, everything was by inevitability, arranged for this very mont.”
Once more, authority—and a strange sadness—settled into Sewoon’s voice.
“However, I fully understand the suffering you endured through that endless wait.”
“……!”
“Without defying the Mandate of Heaven, I shall tell you the process by which this seat returned.”
“Divine Demon, Eternal for a Thousand Ages……!”
At Sewoon’s words, cheers erupted once again, threatening to shake the Heavenly Demon Cavern apart.
Yet Sewoon’s ears were noisy for a different reason.
[Now, Senior Brother! This is the mont! Tell them the mythic chronicle we wrote!]
An excited voice from Naless echoed as a telepathic transmission within Sewoon’s consciousness.
Thus, Sewoon began to recount the grand epic that he and Naless had devised together before arriving here.
“While repeatedly cultivating within this Heavenly Demon Cavern, this seat reached the ultimate realm it sought—yet encountered a single limitation.”
Sewoon lowered his voice.
Each word seed to cause the very space itself to resound.
“In the end, the body that had reached the limit of the Mandate of Heaven began to collapse and fade into annihilation.”
“Ahh……!”
At this point, a grim, heroic solemnity entered Sewoon’s voice.
“If only the soul remained, all efforts would have turned to naught. Thus, this seat exercised every ounce of accumulated enlightennt and qi to make one choice.”
Sewoon’s gaze swept across each of the Demonic Cult followers.
Their eyes were already filled with fanatic devotion.
“That choice was to implant my soul into an empty body—one whose soul had vanished after completing its karmic burden upon the mortal world and departing into the cycle of reincarnation of the Six Paths.”
“……!!!”
“And after scouring the entire Central Plains, the most suitable body I found was none other than the legitimate heir of this Tang Clan.”
Everyone of the Demonic Cult, including Buk Ri-seung, was struck with shock.
Sewoon’s account far exceeded the bounds of their imagination.
He was claiming that, while in a state of pure soul, he had scoured the entirety of the vast Central Plains continent, discovered a suitable body, and then taken possession of it.
Though it appeared similar in principle to the Soul-Shifting Great Art, the level itself was completely different.
The Soul-Shifting Great Art required the replacent body to be present before one’s eyes, and—unlike Sewoon now—it could not carry over even the slightest trace of one’s original qi or power.
Was this not truly sothing only a god could accomplish?
In truth, had anyone else heard such a story, they would have scoffed at it as utter nonsense.
But—
“To think you even bent the laws of Heaven with such astounding ability—this lowly group can only bow in admiration and weep in gratitude!!”
“Divine Demon, Eternal for a Thousand Ages!! All Demons Bow in Reverence!!”
“Divine Demon, Eternal for a Thousand Ages!!”
Boom! Thud—boom!
The mbers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult slamd their heads against the cold ground again and again, prostrating without a shred of doubt.
Their bloodshot eyes were filled with nothing but reverence and blind devotion.
‘Even surpassing the extre of the Life-and-Death Realm, this would still be impossible—but with their fanatical faith in the Heavenly Demon, there’s no way they’d dare to doubt.’
Watching them fall completely for it, Sewoon felt deep satisfaction within.
This was more than enough to seize control of the Demonic Cult.
“Then that must be why the Tang Clan’s legitimate heir—whose talent was once ager—was able to amass such overwhelming martial power at such a terrifying pace…!”
One of the Demonic Cult elders muttered in an awestruck voice.
“That is correct. From that ti onward, this seat had already taken possession of this child’s body.”
“Divine Demon, Eternal for a Thousand Ages!!”
In that instant, all of their doubts were completely resolved.
Once again, endless chants and cheers poured forth.
And then—
“Lord Master….”
The Great Protector, Buk Ri-seung, stepped forward, bowing his head respectfully as he spoke.
His voice brimd with pride and happiness.
“Lord Master. While awaiting your return, we too have moved in the shadows without distinction between orthodox and unorthodox, amassing vast resources and power.”
“……!”
“To be able to return all of this entirely into your embrace brings your subordinates imasurable joy.”
At that mont, Sewoon’s eyes glead. Buk Ri-seung had touched precisely upon what he had been curious about.
‘Yes. Just how strong is the Demonic Cult at present?’
He did not expect it to match the Demonic Cult at the ti of the invasion led by the Soulbound Divine Demon.
Even so, with the Great Protector Buk Ri-seung, the two additional Great Protectors, and the clan heads and elders of the Five Great Demonic Houses—all absolute experts—it would already be a trendous force.
“…The supplies we accumulated by infiltrating the comrcial world…”
“…The smuggled salt, rivaling even the Anhui rchant clans…”
“…And thus, the number of elite combat units such as the Black Wind Unit…”
Yet as Buk Ri-seung continued speaking, Sewoon struggled to conceal his astonishnt.
It was nothing short of shocking.
‘No… they’ve built up this much military strength?’
The Demonic Cult had accumulated a far greater force than he had anticipated.
It was a massive power—one that would not be significantly outmatched even if compared to all the forces currently unified under the Tang Clan.
To have hidden such strength so thoroughly within the shadows—
Even Sewoon found himself taken aback.
‘The Demonic Cult’s forces are far superior to what I expected. If they join forces, and the Murim Alliance under the Sword Emperor lends its support, we could very well match the Blood Cult’s power—excluding the Blood Demon…!’
Just then—
Buk Ri-seung, who had been speaking without pause, suddenly hesitated and showed a troubled expression.
“Ah, but… now that I think of it, there is sothing I must report to you, Lord Master.”
‘Hm?’
Seeing the discomfort on Buk Ri-seung’s face, Sewoon focused on him.
Then, pretending not to care, he spoke calmly.
“What is it?”
“Ahem. Th-That is… these foolish subordinates failed to realize that you were the reincarnated Blood-Thread Tyrant… and in order to uncover the identity of the Head of Heavenly Suppression… we located soone connected to you and have kept them imprisoned in this headquarters’ prison to this day.”
What was he saying?
Imprisoned soone connected to him—in the prison?
“…You have imprisoned soone closely connected to Tang Sewoon?”
“Y-Yes, that is correct.”
Buk Ri-seung answered, utterly at a loss.
Sewoon was deeply shocked inside, but showed no sign of it outwardly.
His mind, however, was racing.
Who in the world had they imprisoned?
If it was to uncover the identity of the Head of Heavenly Suppression, then it should have been a mber of the Heavenly Suppression Unit.
But no one ca to mind.
‘Sothing’s wrong. I’ve already accounted for every single mber of the Heavenly Suppression Unit.’
Excluding those who returned with Seori, it had not even been long since he confird through the Beggars’ Sect that all of them had safely returned to their respective clans.
Yet from Buk Ri-seung’s wording, it sounded as though the imprisonnt had lasted quite so ti.
‘Unless they used a substitute… there shouldn’t be anyone connected to
who could have been captured….’
And then—
The na that escaped Buk Ri-seung’s lips was soone Sewoon had never expected.
“W-We have dared to imprison an individual who claid to be your master….”
“……!!”
My master?
‘W-Wait…?’
In that instant, Sewoon felt as though his head had been struck by a massive iron hamr.
As the dazed sensation slowly faded, the image of a single figure—one bound to him by a horrific, cursed fate stretching from before his regression until now—rose vividly in his mind.
—The mont you kill , this creature’s flapping wings will co to an end as well. Now then, choose, disciple.
—Will you cut
down here and lose the final breaths of the subordinates who ca forth for your sake? Or will you politely greet your master and disappear?
A man who annihilated the Heaven-Piercing Gang and then vanished without a trace.
“T-Then… what is your relationship with Poison Demon Yelü Sheng?”
“?!”
Reviews
All reviews (0)